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2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

C. L. HEALY. TRANSMITTER PoR PRINTING TRLRGRAPRS. No. 330,239.

Patented Nov. 10, 1885.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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C. L HEALY.

TRANSMITTER FOR PRINTING TELEGRAPHS.

Patented Nov. 10, 1885.

N4 PETERS. Phme-Limngrnphnr, Washingxcn. D. C.

. UNITED STATESY PATENT Eric CLARENCE L. HEALY, or BROOKLYN, AssreNoR To srEri-IEN D. FIELD, CE YoNKERs, N. Y.

TRANSMITTER FOR PRINTING-TELEGRAPHS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,1239, dated November l0, 1.885.

Application filed June 12, 1885. Serial No. 168,487. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE L. HEALY, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PriDtingTelegraphs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, and will enable those skilled in the art to which they refer to make and use the same.

The invention relates to those printingtelegraph systems in which the printing-in struments are located at the various places where news or reports are to be delivered, and which are simultaneously worked by ar r transmittingapparatus located at a central office, from which radiate lines connecting the various printers with the common transmitter. This transmitting apparatus generally consists of a key-board arranged in combination with and controlling one or more commutator devices, connected with a battery or other source of electricity and with the lines running from the central office, the arrangement being such that by the revolution of the commutator or of some shaft or other device .operating it the proper currents are sent out to work the printers in such lines. The commutator or other connected device, as called into action by the transmitting-operator at the key-board, 3o is alternaly stopped and started, and this is usually done by a detent device arranged to engage with teeth or stops on some revolving part of the mechanism, which mechanism is usually operated by a continuously-driven friction connection which acts upon the commutatonshaft so as to constantly tend to keep it moving, so that said shaft when released will start off at practically the same rate of speed at which it is at any time driven. As 4o the commutator is driven at a high rate of speed, abruptly arresting it results in sudden and forcible blows being struck by the stops upon its shaft against the detent brought into their path, and the jar or vibration thus produced not only causes a noisy clatter of the parts and their rapid wear, but more particularly it interferes with the certain action of the arresting mechanism, and .thus prevents the attainment of the highest speed. 5o lt is the object of the present invention to provide the transmitter of a printing-telegraph apparatus with an arresting mechanism that shall act to stop the comrnutator-shaft,

or some like device operating the commutator,` with little noise and with the least strain and jar upon the transmitting machinery, and that shall also act with such positiveness and certainty as to permit a higher speed of the commutator than has heretofore been found practically possible.

The invention consists, first, in the use of a dashpot-cushioning device in connection with the mechanism that is used to arrest the shaft operating the commutator, whether such shaft be stopped by the use of a device engaging it positively or by frictional contact, the effect of the cushion being to take up the shock that is produced by the impact of the arresting device upon the revolving parts. without causing anyback-action, and thereby 7o protect the other parts ofthe mechanism from undue strain and vibration. l

lIhe invention also consists in the combination of a friction mechanism, by means of which the revolving parts may be gradually retarded, with a positive detent for wholly stopping such revolving parts when their speed has been diminished by the friction mechanism.

The drawings show various views of a com- 8o mutator-shaft, or the shaft of a brush or other part that operates a commutator mechanism, Figure l being an elevation view in partial section of a detent device and afriotion device independently acting upon the same shaft; Fig. 2, a plan view of the saine; Fig. 3,an elevation view in partial section of a detent and a friction device mounted on a common armature arm, and Fig. 4 a plan view of the same.

Referring to these views in detail, A repre- 9o sents the shaft by which the coinmutator is operated, this shaft being driven by any suitable power, preferably, however, through the medium of frictional connections, so that the shaft may be stopped at any point by overcoming the power of such connection,and may be caused to start at the same speed as the said connection when released. B is a toothed wheel fixed to the shaft, and C is a dog or detent for engaging said toothed wheel,this detent roo being carried on the piston-rod D,which runs lengthwise through the arm E to the piston F in the cylindrical head G on the end of the arm, such arm being pivoted to suitable standards, and having attached to it the armature H ofthe electro-magnet I. A spring, J, upon the piston-rod serves to keep the detent and piston at their proper forward position, anda valve, K, acts to admit air behind. the piston when it is drawn forward,4 it being understood that this pistontts nearly ai r-tight in the head G, so that the air in the head will be held confined and will not instantly escape when the piston is quickly moved inward.

The electro-magnet is connected with the key-board of the transmitter, so as to be un- ,that upon receiving the blow and absorbing der the control of the operator. When this magnet is brought into action to arrest the 'commutator and Vthe detent engages one of the teeth on its shaft. the blow struck by the rapidly and powerfully moving tooth-Wheel against the detent isreceived by the air in the piston-head, this air being compressed by they the shock produced by it such a-ir will escape from the piston-head, and so will not react upon the piston, the action being like that of a dash-pot-that is, the elasticity of the air'- cushion is expended by resisting the blow, and there is no recoil of the commutator-shaft, asno backward pressure is exerted by the cushioning-piston after the shaft has been arrested.-

By the use of a yielding stop or detent toarrest the commutator not only is the transmitter protected against undue jar and` wear, but the action of the detent is made more certain, and a greater speed of the commutator may be had. With an unyiel-d-ing or recoiling detent the sudden blows struck aga-inst it by the rapidly-revolving teeth on the shaft often act to throw it out of engagement with such` teeth, whereas such effect is prevented by using a detent that has the capacity of yield?- ing slightly when struck, but without recoiling, as this action will prevent it from slipping or bounding off, and thus losing its hold upon the tooth-wheel.

I am aware that detents-have been used for this purpose that were slightly elastic fromv having been made of spring met-alv formedintov a shape permitting the engaging end to'sp-rifnfg back when struck by the revolving stops;v but this is not my invention, as such spring-detents exert a backward and yielding pressure upon the shaft after it has been stopped, as above described.

The letter L indicates another armature-arm that is operated by the electro-magnet M, and carries the friction-pulley N, arranged so as to be brought into close contact with the edge of the friction-disk O on the armature-shaft.. To the shaft of this pulley is attached the cord or wire P, which is fastened to the rod Q, of the piston R, arranged in the fixed head S after the manner ot the cushioning-piston on the detent-arm. Vhen the magnet of this friction device is operated, the friction-pulley is 4brought into close contact with the frictiondisk, and is caused to make a partial revolution, which winds the cord or wire around the pulley-shaft and draws the piston slightly into its head, thereby causing an air-cushion that gradually takes up the strain and jar due'toarresti-ng the commutator.V By using apulley, as` shown, the wearing away of the two friction*- surfaces,and consequent irregular action of thev parts, is obviated, for it is intended that the' friction-surfaces shall not slip upon eachother, but simply revolve together, the force necessary to hold them in unbroken contact when the strain of stopping the commutator is thrown upon a yielding cushion being much less andl hence more certain than would be necessary to accomplish the same end without such c ishion. Y

It is plain that the action of the frictionA the commutator gradually to a stop, yet it cannot be relied upon to sto'p it at any exact point with the same certainty as the positive" detent.v It is believed that the best results will be attained by theconjoint use of theseL two means, the friction device bei-ng used toA gradually reduce the speed of the commutatorsh-aft and the positive detent being thenbrought into action to` completely arrest-titel revolution of the shaft at thel desiredl point; In; this way great speed and accuracy may be` attained with a minimum of strain upon" the' working parts. Twoway-s of combining these devices areC illustrated in the drawings. Figs'. 1 and 2 show them as separately mounted, but arranged? to act conjointly upon the'samefshaft, it being understood that the two electro-magnetsl are so connected with the transmitter key-boardE that the friction device isP ii'r'st cau-sed toengage with the shaft tov rednceitsv speed; and then thel diet-'ent actsv to positively arrest it and? hold ift at the point desired; Figs. 3' and 4 show both of these' devices mounted tipo-none armatu re-arm and operated by a single magnet; It is usual with tliede'tentl device to' cause it to1 close upon the toothwheel immediately upon a tooth pass'i'irg'ther detent, or wherev these points are, as seen' in of a tooth. When, therefore, the armaturearm carries both arresting devices, provision must be made for the downward movement of the arm after the friction device has been brought into operation, and this is accomplished by placing the pivot of the pulley a little eccentric toits periphery. The action of the combined form of arresting device, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, then, is this: As .the arm is drawn down the friction-pulley is brought firmly against the friction-disk and begins to revolve and at the same time to retard the commutator-shaft; but as the pulley turns its eccentricity permits the arm to be gradually drawn farther down until, when the shaft has been sufficiently retarded, it meets the more positive obstruction afforded by the detent and is fully arrested. When the action of the magnet ceases, the arm is at once drawn back by a suitable spring, and the shaft is started off at the same speed as the frictionconnection constantly acting upon it.

In the case of the conjoint use of the arresting devices, the object of the invention will be in large measure attained if the detent be not yielding; but it may have the capacity of yielding somewhat, so as to obviate the jar and strain as far as possible.

I am aware that this apparatus is susceptible of various modifications, andparticularly that other cushioning gases or fluids may be used to accomplish the saine end, and I would have it understood that I regard all such modieations as the equivalents of the forms here shown and described.

By the shaft herein described as the commutator-shaftH is meant a shaft which actually carries the commutator or some of the 2. In combination, in the transmitting mechl anism of a printing-telegraph, a friction device arranged to gradually reduce the speed of the commutator-shaft, an electro-magnet for bringing such friction device into action so as to operate upon said shaft, and a detent for arresting said shaft when its speed has been reduced by the friction device.

3. In combination, in the transmitting mechanism of a printing-telegraph,the commutatorshaft A, provided with teeth or stops B, the yielding detent mechanism CD FG, mounted upon the armature-arm E, and the electromagnet I, for operating said detent, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination,in the transmitting mechanism ofap1inting-telegraph,the commutatorshaft H, the pulley N, attached to the armature of an electro-magnet, a cushioning device arranged to resist the revolution of said pulley, and a detent for positively arresting the shaft by engaging with teeth or stops thereon, as and for the purpose set forth.

CLARENCE L. HEALY.

Vitnesses:

R. F. GAYLORD, RoBT. H. DUNCAN. 

